Newly elected IPS board member Sam Odle has ideas to improve Indianapolis public schools and Star columnist Matthew Tully likes what he hears. / (Submitted photo)

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So I'm sitting there last week over coffee with Sam Odle, one of the newly elected members of the IPS board, and as he rattles off a series of inspiring and sensible ideas, I find myself thinking a thought that's been quite rare lately:

Maybe, just maybe, there really is a chance that this district cannot only be saved but also truly improved.

I know. I know. It's easy to get all weak-kneed by the words of those in education who have big and bold ideas, particularly those skilled at delivering their message. But there's something about Odle -- a retired IU Health executive -- that inspires hope when you talk to him. Particularly when you consider that at 63 and with a storied career behind him, there's little for him to gain with his new position.

Little, that is, but the immense satisfaction that would come from helping turn around one of the toughest districts in the state.

The optimistic feeling gets even stronger when you remember that an impressive majority eager to instill the district with a belief in innovation and higher expectations will join Odle, thanks to the recent elections, on the IPS board. So, yeah, I'll admit it: As Odle talked last week and as we finished our final cups of coffee, I found myself getting excited about IPS' future. It won't be easy, and I've been disappointed before after seeing signs of hope. But, hey, let's embrace this moment.

"I don't think it's rocket science," Odle said. "There are so many good things being done in education -- even within IPS. The question is, how do we translate what's being done right in some schools into the majority of schools."

And he doesn't care where the ideas come from, or who gets the credit.

Take charter schools.

We've all heard and read the rhetoric surrounding those nontraditional public schools in recent years. Union and district leaders often bash them unfairly, while some reformers paint them as too much of a panacea. Odle? He doesn't get caught up in the governance structure or the different rules for district and charter schools. All he cares about is whether they are working for some students and families, and whether there is anything IPS can learn or gain from them.

He believes the district must more aggressively pursue partnerships with anyone out there -- corporations, nonprofits and even charters -- that can improve the odds that students will succeed. For some students, he said, a charter is simply the best option.

"We should use every tool in the book to make sure every kid is getting the education they deserve," he said. Translation: Enough with the silly turf wars.

Odle looks likely to play the role of middleman in many ways -- a supporter of reforms but someone who also has the deep respect of the establishment. He will push that establishment, meaning district bosses, to accept the help of outside programs. He pointed to Summer Advantage, a groundbreaking program that has improved test scores in many area schools but which has struggled to get cooperation from IPS.

That just hurts kids, Odle said.

It all comes down, he said, to a need to embrace change. Schools should welcome programs that work, even if they buck tradition.

"K-12 education is just begging for innovation," he said. "We're starting to see some of it but the status quo is holding on for dear life."

He talked about issues that could rile some: for instance, making parents who receive public assistance secure that help at their children's school -- anything to help connect them with the school. He argues that preschool must become a fundamental part of a student's education, and that the social issues that hold back students should be tackled just as aggressively as education problems. He said he looks forward to working with IPS Superintendent Eugene White, if White decides he wants to remain.

And while Odle talks pragmatically and with a businessman's calm, he expresses an urgency that he feels. He noted that IPS' enrollment is just a fraction of what it once was, and with increasing competition and its battered image, its decline could accelerate in the coming years.

"IPS used to have the franchise around here," he said. "They lost that franchise. And it's going to get even worse if we don't innovate pretty rapidly."

The district has made some good moves in recent years. But for every promising magnet program, there's been a list of setbacks, heartbreaks and self-defeating decisions. Let's all hope that Odle and the rest of the new board can make the successes the district has seen of late become more of the rule.

"I doubt that there is a teacher or administrator in IPS that gets up in the morning and says, 'How can I give these kids a lousy education?'" he said. "The question is, how do we change the system to make it easier for them to be successful."